Strengthening Of Faith

Taqwiyat al-Īmān: Strengthening of the Faith by Shāh Ismā‘il Dihlawī (1193-1246) Translated by Unknown. Ryadh: Darussalam Publications, 1995. Book review by GF Haddad Muh.ammad Ismā‘īl Dihlawī (1193-1246) was the son of Shāh ‘Abd al-Ghānī (d. 1203) the son of Shāh Walī Allāh Muh.addith Dihlawī (d. 1176/1762) the son of Shah ‘Abd al-Rah.īm (d. 1131/1719). He eventually strayed so far from the Sunnī and Naqshbandī S.ūfī path of his illustrious forefathers that he became what the Indian H.anafī and Māturīdī Shaykh, Fad.l al-Rasūl al-Badaywānī (1213-1289) in his al-Mu‘taqad al-Muntaqad (1270) calls “the chief Najdī” (kabīr al-najdiyya) of India and “their patron” (mawlāhum). Al-Badaywānī is among the earliest Indian Ulema to refute Ismā‘īl’s books that form the basis of Wahhābism in that country such as Taqwiyat al-Īmān (1240), Īd.āh. al-H.aqq, al-S.irāt alMustaqīm, etc.

Those Who Affirm that Allāh Can Lie Ismā‘īl Dihlawī was the first of the Wahhābīs of India to forward the heresy of imkān kadhib or “the possibility of lying” (on the part of Allāh Most High!)1 and was imitated in this belief by the Deobandīs Shaykhs Ah. mad Rashīd Gangohi (d. 1323/1905) in his Fatawa-e-Rashidia and his apologist Khalīl al-Saharanfūrī (d. 1927) in his al-Barāhīn alQāt. i‘a. Among others, refutations were published by Mullā S.āh.ib Baghdādī, Mawlānā Fad.l al-H.aqq Kayrābādī, and Imām Ah.mad Rid.ā Khān (1272-1340) who wrote: Lying is a defect and the latter, by Consensus, cannot possibly be attributed to Allāh !. I have discussed this question in detail in my book Subh.ān al-Subbūh. ‘an ‘Aybi Kadhibin Maqbūh. (“Glorified is the Glorious One Far Above the Ugly Attribution of Mendacity”) in which I quoted many texts from the Imāms of Kalām and Tafsīr, among other authorities, stipulating such impossibility for Allāh and stating Consensus on the matter.2 Al-Badaywānī said the following on the issue: Lying is impossible for Him – exalted is He! – as are all defective characteristics. In this respect the Najdiyya parted with the people of Islām. Their elder said: “His lying and the attribution to Him – exalted is He! – of that defect is not an impossibility in itself [or: is not precluded from the Essence] nor does it lie outside Divine power. If it did, then we would have to conclude that human power exceeds Divine power.” Note that Ibn H.azm used the same spurious logic to assert in al-Fis.al fī al-Milal wa al-Nih.al – in violation of the Consensus of the Salaf and Khalaf – that having a mate and child is necessarily within the Divine power also, because, otherwise, He would be powerless (‘ājiz) and creatures would possess a power which the Creator does not!3 In the same way as the proponents of imkān kadhib defended their belief with the pretext that Allāh can do anything, they also held the belief – as in Chapter Five of the English translation of Taqwiyat al-Īmān [p. 85] – that “He [Allāh] may bring into existence millions of Prophets, saints, jinns, angels, and entities equal to Gabriel and the Prophet Muh.ammad " in terms of status.” When Ismā‘īl al-Dihlawī was taken to task for this statement (by Mawlānā Fad.l al-H.aqq al-Khayrābādī), he argued in his Yak Rozi (“One-Dayer”) that he was referring not to the Will of Allāh. “but to His Capability to bring something into existence,” adding, by way of a further example, that the birth of a person of the stature of the Holy Prophet " was a distinct possibility!4 Al-Baydawānī continues: One of his [Shah Ismā‘īl al-Dihlawī’s] followers went on in this disgraceful manner with words that are of no avail to him and shall lead him straight to Hell to the point that he had to admit the possibility of attributing to Him ignorance, impotence, and the generality of defects, shameful traits, indecencies, and disgraceful aspects, laying himself and his camp bare with all kinds of scandals.... Imam Ibn al-Humām said in al-Musāyara: ‘Defective traits are impossible for Him – exalted is He! – such as ignorance and lying.’ [Kamāl al-Din Muh.ammad ibn Muh.ammad] Ibn Abī al-Sharīf [al-Shāfi‘ī d. 905] said in his commentary [alMusāmara fi Sharh. al-Musāyara]: “More than that, it is impossible for Him – exalted is He! – to be attributed any trait 1 In his book Yak Rozi (p. 145 according to the URL http://members.tripod.com/okarvi/W_B.html). 2 Ahmad Rid. ā Khān, Fatāwā al-H. aramayn bi Rajf Nadwat al-Mayn (Waqf Ikhlās. offset repr. p. 11-12). 3 . Ibn H. azm, al-Fis. al (2:138). 4

Yak Rozi (and p. 151).

that consists in neither-perfection-nor-imperfection, because each and every single Divine Attribute is an Attribute of perfection.... Nor is there any difference in this respect between the Ash‘arīs and the rest, in that all that denotes imperfection with respect to creatures, the Most High Creator is transcendant beyond and absolutely exempt of, such an attribute being an impossibility for him – exalted is He!’ And lying denotes imperfection with respect to creatures. It was also stated in [al-Taftazānī’s] Sharh. al-Maqās.id: “If it were permissible to describe Him as contingent (h.ādith) then imperfection would be possible for Him and this is false and rejected by Consensus.” And in [al-Jurjānī’s 2,300-page] Sharh. al-Mawāqif: “Lying is precluded from Him by agreement [of both Sunnīs and Mu‘tazilīs].... for three reasons according to us [Sunnīs], the first being that lying is a defect and any defect is absolutely impossible for Allāh by Consensus.” ... And in Kanz al-Fawā’id: “All these opposites are impossible for the Lord of creatures as we have exposed before, ... as He is transcendant beyond and exempt of lying both according to the letter of the Law and according to the light of reason.” And in al-Dāwānī’s Sharh. al-‘Aqā’id: “Lying is a defect and so cannot be counted among the possibilities (mumkināt) nor does Divine power include it, and the same applies to all the different kinds of imperfections in relation Him – exalted is He! – such as ignorance and powerlessness... It is incorrect to attribute to Him movement, displacement, ignorance, or lying because those are imperfections and imperfections are impossible for the Most High.” And in Sharh. al-Sanūsiyya [= T.āli‘ al-Bushrā ‘alā al-‘Aqīdat al-Sanūsiyya al-S.ughrā by Ibrāhīm ibn Ah.mad alMārighnī al-Mālikī]: “As for the demonstration of the obligatoriness of their [Prophets’] truthfulness – upon them blessings and peace – it is because if they were not considered truthful, then His Report – exalted is He! – [about them] would by necessity be deemed a lie, and lying is an impossibility for Allāh because it denotes lowliness.”5

Those Who Disparage the Prophet " Ismā‘īl Dihlawī is also notorious for affirming in his purported “Straight Path” (al-S.irāt al-Mustaqīm) – apparently co-authored with his close associate Sayyid Ah.mad Barelwī6 that “Becoming absorbed (s.arf-e-himmat) in the Prophet Muh.ammad ", were it to occur during S.alāt, is much worse than to become absorbed in the thought of an ox or a donkey.”7 It goes without saying that such a statement constitutes clear disparagement of the Prophet ", which is passible of death in all four Sunnī Schools.

The Condemnation of Taqwiyat al-Īmān Ismā‘īl Dihlawī wrote Taqwiyat al-Īmān in the wake of his H.ijāz years (1236-1239), at which time he had come under the tutelage of Wahhābī missionaries. Ostensibly a work on Islamic monotheism (tawhīd), it relies on an original understanding of some of the Qur’anic verses and Prophetic narrations that pertain to Tawh.īd in studied or forced omission of any of the previous works authored by the established authorities in the field, much in the same way as Muh.ammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhāb produced his Kitāb al-Tawh.īd. The two books show equal ignorance of the two Sunnī Schools of Islamic doctrine, simplistic and largely cursory treatment of the Qur’ān and Sunna, harping on specific themes that are obviously problematic to the authors, and committing doctrinal errors the like of only one of which is enough to characterize its author as heretical. Just as Muh.ammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhāb raised a storm of controversy and was refuted by a host of Sunnī Ulema from the H.ijāz and elsewhere beginning with his own brother Sulaymān ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhāb, Ismā‘īl Dihlawī was also immediately opposed by a host of Indian Sunnī Ulema beginning with his own family and the Ulema of Delhi such as his two paternal uncles Shāh ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Muh.addith Dihlawī (d. 1239/1834) (the son of Shāh Walī Allāh and one of those considered a Renewer of the thirteenth Hijrī century) and Shāh Raf‘ī al-Dīn Muh.addith Dihlawī in his Fatāwā, Shāh Ah.mad Sa‘īd Dihlawī, Mawlānā S.adr al-Dīn the Grand Mufti of Delhi, Mawlānā Fad.l al-Rasūl al-Badaywānī in al-Mu‘taqad al-Muntaqad and Sayf al-Jabbār, Mawlānā Fad.l al-H.aqq Kayrābādī, Mawlānā ‘Ināyat Ah.mad Kākurūwī 5 Al-Badaywānī, 6

al-Mu‘taqad al-Muntaqad (Waqf Ihlas offset repr. p. 64-66). Sayyid Ah. mad Barelwī had declared a jihād against the Sīkh rulers of the Punjab. He and his followers were eventually betrayed by their Afghan allies and defeated by Ranjit Singh, the Sikh ruler of Northern India, and killed in 1246/1831 in Balakot. The Tawārīkh-e‘Ajībah (p. 182) states: “In this biography and by his letters it is clearly evident that Mr. Sayyid [Ah. mad] had no intention to wage a war against the British. He thought of their government as his government. Undoubtedly, if the [British] government was against him he would not have received any [financial] aid [from them]. But the government wished to break the strength of the Sikh [rebels].” The Hayaat-e-Tayyibah (p. 302) states that one day, as Ismā‘īl Dihlawī was lecturing on jihād against the Sikhs in Calcutta, a person asked: “Why do you not give a fatwa to wage jihād against the English?” He replied: “It is not wājib in any case to fight against the British. First, because we are their subjects; second, they do not interfere in our religious affairs and we have all kinds of freedom under their rule. In fact, if any one attacks the British, it is the religious duty of Muslims to fight against them and protect our (British) government.” 7 Siraat-e-Mustaqeem (p. 86=p. 150).

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(author of ‘Ilm al-S.īgha), Shāh Ra’ūf Ah.mad Naqshbandī Mujaddidī, and others. Mawlānā H.ashmat ‘Alī Khān adduced the names of 268 Ulema verifying the fatwa of the takfīr or the author of Taqwiyat al-Īmān and his supporters in work titled al-S.awārim al-Hindiyya (Murādābād, 1345/1926) while H.usām al-H.aramayn lists the endorsements of 301 Ulema from the Arab world and the Sub-Continent, all in utter disregard of the desperate fatwa that “The one saying kāfir to Mawlawī Ismā‘īl Dihlawī, the writer of Taqwiyat al-Īmān, is himself a kāfir!”8 Taqwiyat al-Īmān contains the following aberrations among others: – The attribution of shirk to the majority of the Umma in the first lines of Chapter One [p. 42-43] and the statement in Chapter Six [p. 109]: “Presently, all kinds of shirk (both the ancient and news ones) are rampant among Muslims. What the Prophet " prophesied earlier seems to be coming true now. For instance, the Muslims are treating Prophets, saints, Imam and martyrs, etc. polytheistically.” The attribution of shirk to the majority of the Umma is an unmistakable signature of the heresy of the Khawārij, who did not hesitate to brand as mushrik the rank and file of the Muslims including the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. As for the prophesies related to polytheism at the end of time, they pertain to the very last phase of the Major Signs (al-‘alāmāt alkubrā) before the rising of the Hour. Such does not occur until after the killing of the Dajjāl at the hands of ‘Īsā #, followed by his death and the disappearance of all believers from the face of the earth. The author of Taqwiyat al-Īmān knows this full well since he cites a h.adīth from S.ah.īh. Muslim to that effect at the end of his Chapter Six [p. 110-111]! Until then, the Prophet " said that his Umma was protected against error and that his greatest fear for us was not shirk but worldly competition and scholarly impostors. Thus the charge that “the Muslims are treating Prophets, saints, Imam and martyrs, etc. polytheistically” is supported by inapplicable evidence and is overwhelmingly false. In fact, this charge is only a camouflage of the very real disrespect of Prophets and Saints for which Wahhābism and its sectarian offshoots stand. – The statement in Chapter Two [p. 50-51] that “If a person calls upon someone (by invoking his name) other than Allāh, while doing his everyday routine chores, so that the one called upon may help him obviate his distress, or attacks an enemy by invoking his name, or keeps pronouncing his name on the beads of a rosary…. All the above things and acts prove the presence of the elements of Shirk…. By nursing this kind of faith, a man undoubtedly turns into a Mushrik.” This drivel aims at blurring the line between calling for help (istighātha) and worshipping (‘ibāda) and reveals ignorance of the Qur’ān and Sunna. The licitness of istighātha or calling for the help of a qualified creature is patently established in the Qur’ān and Sunna, as shown by [1] the verse of istighātha cited below; [2] al-Bukhārī’s narration that our mother Hājar, when she was running in search of water between S.afā and Marwa, heard a voice and said: “O you whose voice you have made me hear! If there is a ghawth (help/helper) with you (then help me)!” and an angel appeared at the spot of the spring of Zamzam; [3] al-Bukhārī’s narration of the Prophet " from Ibn ‘Umar $: “Truly the sun shall draw so near on the Day of Resurrection that sweat shall reach to the mid-ear, whereupon they shall ask (istaghāthū) help from Ādam #, then from Mūsā #, then from Muh.ammad " who will intercede.” [4] The narration from Anas in al-Bukhārī explicitly states that all the Prophets say, “I am not fit for this” except the Prophet Muh.ammad, who says: “I am fit for this [intercession].” Even Muh.ammad ibn Abd al-Wahhāb concedes: “We do not deny nor reject the invocation of help from the creature insofar as the creature can help, as Allāh % said in the story of Mūsā #: &And his countryman sought his help (istaghāthahu) against his enemy' (28:15).”9 Further examples from the Sunna for calling upon someone to obviate distress are [4] in the authentic h.adīth in which the Prophet " taught a blind man to say, in his du‘ā’: “O Allāh, I am asking you and turning to you with your Prophet Muh.ammad, the Prophet of mercy. O Muh.ammad (yā Muh.ammad)! I am turning with you to my Lord regarding my present need [another version has: “I am asking my Lord with your intercession concerning the return of my sight”] so that He will fulfill my need. O Allāh! Allow him to intercede (with you) for me.”10 [5] This supplication was later taught by the Companion ‘Uthmān ibn H.unayf to a man who was seeking the ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān’s help in a certain matter, after the Prophet’s " death.11 [6] In the authentic h.adīth in which the Prophet " says: “Allāh has angels on earth – other than the Record-Keepers – who keep a record of the leaves that falls on the ground. Therefore, if one of you is crippled in a deserted land where no one is in sight, let him cry out: ‘Help, O servants of Allāh!’ (yā ‘ibād Allāh aghīthū).’”12 [6a] It is also related from ‘Abd Allāh ibn al-Imām Ah.mad Ibn H . anbal that he said: “I heard my father say: ‘I performed pilgri8 Rashīd Gangohī, Fatāwā Rashīdiyya 9 In Majmū‘at al-Tawh.īd (p. 232). 10

(3:16).

Narrated by Ah. mad, al-Tirmidhī (h.asan s.ah.īh. gharīb – Da‘awat Ch. 119), Ibn Mājah (Book of Iqāmat al-s. alāt wal-sunnat, Ch. on S. alāt al-h. āja #1385), al-Nasā’ī in ‘Amal al-yawm wa al-layla (p. 417-418 #658-660), al-H. ākim (1:313, 1:526), al-T. abarānī in alKabīr, and rigorously authenticated as sound (s.ah.īh.) by nearly fifteen h. adīth Masters including Ibn H. ajar, al-Dhahabī, al-Shawkānī, and Ibn Taymiyya as stated in The Reliance of the Traveller. 11 Narrated by al-Bayhaqī in Dalā’il al-Nubuwwa (6:166-168) with a sound chain according to al-Ghumārī in his Juz’ fī al-Radd ‘alā al-Albānī (Beirut, 1996), Abū Nu‘aym in Ma‘rifat al-Sah. āba, al-Mundhirī (1:473-476=1:272-273=1:353-354), al-Haythamī (2:279), and al-T. abarānī who declared it s.ah.īh. in al-Kabīr (9:17-18=9:30-31), al-S. aghīr (1:184/201-202=1:306), and al-Du‘ā’ (p. 320-321), as did al-Shawkānī in Tuh. fat al-Dhākirīn (Beirut 1970 ed. p. 37). See also al-Mubārakfūrī, Tuh. fat al-Ah. wadhī (10:25) and al-Ghumārī’s Misbāh . al-Zujāja fī S . alāt al-H . āja. 12 Narrated from Ibn ‘Abbās by al-T. abarānī in al-Kabīr with a fair chain (according to Ibn H. ajar in al-Amālī) of trustworthy narrators according to al-Haythamī (10:132) and by al-Bazzār with a fair chain according to Ibn H. ajar in Mukhtas. ar Zawā’id Musnad alBazzār (2:419-420 #2128) cf. al-Shawkānī in Tuh. fat al-Dhākirīn (p. 219=p. 155-156); Ibn Abī Shayba (7:103); and al-Bayhaqī in alAdab (p. 436) and Shu‘ab al-Īmān (1:183 #167; 6:128 #7697).

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mage five times and once I got lost on the way. I walked and began to say: O servants of Allāh, show us the way! I continued to say this until I got on the right way.’”13 [7] Al-Haytham ibn H . anash [al-Nakha‘ī] said: “We were in ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Umar’s house when he felt a cramp in his leg, whereupon one man said to him: ‘Remember (or mention) the dearest of people to you,’ so he said: ‘O Muh.ammad!’ (yā Muh.ammad) " and he seemed relieved of his cramp.”14 This narration is confirmed by [8] the sound (s.ah.īh.) report of this event narrated by al-Bukhārī in al-Adab al-Mufrad from ‘Abd alRah.mān ibn Sa‘d who said: “Ibn ‘Umar had a cramp in his leg, whereupon a man said to him: ‘Remember (or mention) the dearest of people to you,’ so he said: ‘Muh.ammad!’”15 Examples from the Sīra for attacking an enemy by invoking the name of a blessed person: [1] in the fighting of the Muslim armies under the command of Khālid ibn al-Walīd in the devastating battle of al-Yamāma against Musaylima the Arch-Liar during the caliphate of Abū Bakr al-S.iddīq, the rallying-cry of the Muslims was“Yā Muh.ammadāh!”16 [2] The 17 same took place in the battle of Aleppo (H. alab) under the command of Ka‘b ibn D . amura. An example from the Sunna for keeping pronouncing the name of a blessed person a number of times for the fulfillment of one’s needs is in the report of Ibn Abī Fudayk (d. 200), one of the early Scholars of Madīna and one of alShāfi‘ī’s and al-Bukhārī’s Shaykhs, that “whoever stands at the Prophet’s " grave and recites &Allāh and His angels send blessings on the Prophet...' (33:56) and then says: ‘Allāh bless you, O Muh.ammad!’ (s.allallāhu ‘alayka yā Muh.ammad) seventy times, an angel will call him saying: ‘Allāh bless you, O So-and-so! None of your needs will be left unfulfilled.’”18 – The phrase [p. 51]: “whether such a knowledge which is attributed to him, happens to be a personal one or granted by Allāh.” This phrase shows that Ismā‘īl Dihlawī believes there are two types of knowledges, one that Allāh grants and one that lies beyond His ability to grant – Exalted is Allāh above what they associate to Him! – The statement in Chapter Two [p. 52-53]: “If a person makes a bow or prostration before the grave of a Prophet [or] saint… stands in front of them with folded hands… kisses a grave or undertakes a long journey to visit graves and other places; lights earthen lamps there or makes arrangements for illuminating them; or puts coverings on their walls or offers a sheet as a covering on the grave… asks for the fulfillment of wishes there… anyone doing any of the above acts commits a clear and manifest shirk.” The above statement shows the extent of irresponsibility of the book, its authors, and those who translate it or propagate it today. There is Consensus in Islām that travel to visit the Prophet " is a desirable act of worship (qurba) as stipulated in Qād.i ‘Iyād.’s al-Shifā’. No less than Imām Ah.mad $ declared there was no harm in kissing the Prophet’s " grave.19 And it is authentically related from Imām al-Shāfi‘ī $ that he used to pray next to Imām Abū H.anīfa’s $ grave in Baghdād in order to ask for the fulfillment of his wishes there.20 Al-Dhahabī relates that Imām Ah.mad used to seek blessings from the relics of the Prophet ". He then lambasts whoever dares fault the practice of tabarruk or seeking blessings from blessed objects: ‘Abd Allāh ibn Ah.mad said: “I saw my father take a hair that belonged to the Prophet ", put it on his mouth, and kiss it. I believe I saw him put it on his eyes. He also dipped it in water and drank the water to obtain cure. I saw him take the Prophet’s " bowl (qas.‘a), wash it in water, and drink from it. I saw him drink Zamzam water in order to seek cure with it, and he wiped his hands and face with it.” I say: Where is the quibbling critic of Imām Ah.mad now? It is also authentically established that ‘Abd Allāh asked his father about those who touch the pommel of the Prophet’s " pulpit and touch the wall of the Prophet’s " room, and he said: “I do not see any harm in it.” May Allāh protect us and you from the opinion of the Khawārij and from innovations!21 – The statement in Chapter Three [p. 58]: “We must understand that anyone whether one of the most eminent human beings or any of the angels dearest and nearest to Allāh does not carry the status of even a shoe-maker in terms of frivolity and disgrace, while facing the magnificence of the Divinity.” This kind of coarse disparagement of the Prophets and angels is kufr passible of death according to most of the Salaf – whether uttered ostensibly in the cause of Tawh.īd or in that of atheism – and further lies in blatant contradiction of 13 Narrated 14

by Ibn Muflih. al-H. anbalī in al-Ādāb al-Shar‘iyya. Narrated by al-Nawawī in al-Adhkār (1970 Riyadh ed. p. 271, 1988 T.ā’if edition p. 383, 1992 Makka edition p. 370), Ibn alQayyim – without the interjection yā – in al-Wābil al-Sayyib (1952 ed. 180=p. 195) and al-Shawkānī’s Tuh. fat al-Dhākirīn (Cairo ed. p. 291-292=1970 Beirut ed. p. 206-207). This report is narrated by Ibn al-Sunnī through Muh. ammad ibn Mus. ‘ab al-Qurqusānī who was declared weak by several Imāms but Imām Ah. mad considered him thiqa cf. al-Arna’ūt. , Tah. rīr al-Taqrīb (3:318 #6302). At any rate, the narration is confirmed by the h. adīth of al-Bukhārī in al-Adab al-Mufrad. 15 Narrated by al-Bukhārī, al-Adab al-Mufrad (1990 ‘Abd al-Bāqī Beirut ed. p. 286): “Abū Nu‘aym [al-Fad. l ibn Dukayn] narrated to us and said: Sufyān [ibn ‘Uyayna] narrated to us: From Abū Ish. āq [Sa‘d ibn Ibrāhīm]: From ‘Abd al-Rah. mān ibn Sa‘d [al-Makhzūmī al-Muq‘ad] – al-Dhahabī said of him in Mīzān al-I‘tidāl (2:566 #4875), “This narrator is trustworthy (dhā thiqa).” This is a chain of sound narrators despite the contrary claim of al-Albānī in the book he titled D. a‘īf al-Adab al-Mufrad (p. 87). 16 Narrated by al-T. abarī in his Tārīkh (2:281), Ibn Kathīr in in al-Bidāya wa al-Nihāya (Dār Ih. yā’ al-Turāth ed. 6:324). 17 Narrated by al-Wāqidī in Futūh. al-Shām (1:248). 18 Narrated by Ibn Abī al-Dunyā, al-Bayhaqī in Shu‘ab al-Īmān (3:492 #4169) and Qād. ī ‘Iyād. in al-Shifā’ cf. al-Jurjānī in Tārīkh Jurjān (p. 220), Ibn Jamā‘a in Hidāyat al-Sālik (3:1382-1383), Ibn al-Jawzī in Muthīr al-Gharām (p. 487), and al-Suyūt. ī in al-Durr al-Manthūr (1:570). 19 Narrated by ‘Abd Allāh ibn Ah. mad ibn H. anbal in al-‘Ilal fi Ma‘rifat al-Rijāl (2:492). 20 Narrated by al-Khat. īb in Tārīkh Baghdād (1:123) and Ibn Abī al-Wafā’ in T. abaqāt al-H. anafiyya (p. 519). 21 Al-Dhahabī, Siyar (9:457). Ch. on Imām Ah. mad, section entitled Min ādābih.

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countless verses of the Glorious Qur’ān extolling the high rank of the Prophets and angels in the Divine Presence. Similar to this is the statement in Chapter Five [p. 85] that “He [Allāh] may bring into existence millions of Prophets, saints, jinns, angels, and entities equal to Gabriel and the Prophet Muh.ammad " in terms of status, merely by uttering a word ‘Be.’” One of the prominent Uleman of Delhi at the time, Mawlānā Fad.l al-H.aqq al-Khayrābādī, rightly denounced this statement as heretical since these words do not denote the greatness of the Creator as much as stress disparagement (tanqīs.) of the Prophet ", Gibrīl #, and the rest of the Prophets, angels, and saints. Likewise, the despicable statement in Chapter Seven [p. 145] that “In terms of the first implied meaning [of the word ‘master’ (sayyid) in the sense of the independent ‘master of all who is not governed by anyone’], we shouldn’t even consider him " a master of an ant, because he himself is not empowered to exercise an authority even over an ant.” – The statement in Chapter Four [p. 70-71]: “In case someone recognizes a Prophet… to be as such (having the knowledge of the unknown), such a person becomes a Mushrik.” This mad fatwa makes idolaters of the entire Umma since a Muslim necessarily confesses the Prophet’s " knowledge of the unknown, beginning with the Companions such as ‘Abd Allāh ibn Rawāh.a who said $: Among us is the Messenger of Allāh reciting His Book As the radiant light cleaves the true dawn’s sky. He showed us guidance after blindness and our hearts Now firmly know that all he says will take place.22 and H . assān ibn Thābit who said $: A Prophet who sees around him what others do not And recites the Book of Allāh in every assembly! If he says something of a day which he has not yet seen What he says is confirmed on the morrow or the next day.23 Rashīd Gangohī similarly attempts to defend the charge of shirk for whoever would attribute the Prophet " – as do the Ulema of Ahl al-Sunna – a notion of knowledge of the unseen (‘ilm al-ghayb): “Knowledge of the unseen belongs exclusively to Allāh !. To use this word in any way for anyone else, I feel, is not free of shirk.” (‘ilm ghayb khās Haqq Ta‘ālā kā hey is lafz ko kisī tāwīl se dusre par itlāq kar nā ayhām shirk se khālī nahī).24 “Hence, on this, all of the four Imāms of the Schools and the Ulema agree that the Prophets do not have knowledge of the unseen” (pas is me har chār a’imma madhāhib o jumla ‘ulama’ muttafiq hey ke anbiyā ‘alayhimus-salām ghayb par mutla‘ nahī hey).25 Gangohi’s student Khalīl al-Saharanfūrī followed in his wake, asserting that the Prophet " “was not aware of his ultimate fate and of things beyond a wall,” and that there are clear textual proofs establishing the vast knowledge of the unseen possessed by Shaytān and the Angel of Death but that no such nas.s. exists that such knowledge is also possessed by the Holy Prophet "!26 In contrast, Hājī Imdādullāh Muhājir Makkī (d. 1317) said: “[Some] people say that the Prophets and Awliyā do not have knowledge of the unseen. I say, whichever direction the People of Truth look, the unseen unveils itself to them. This knowledge is true!”27 The head of the Deobandi School himself, Muh.ammad Qāsim Nānotwī stated: “Knowledge of the first, for example, is one thing and knowledge of the last another, but all of these knowledges are gathered in the Messenger of Allāh "!”28 Mawlānā Manz.ūr Ah.mad Sanbhīlī similarly writes: “We and all of our great Scholars believe that the way he " has been given honourable knowledge, this was not given even to the pure groups of the Angels brought near and Prophet-Messengers.”29 The greatest and most definitive answers on this chapter were presented in the masterpiece of Imām Ah.mad Rid.ā Khān, al-Dawla al-Makkiyya fīl-Mādda al-Ghaybiyya (written in 1323 and expanded with footnotes through later years) although he wrote no less than eight other works on the topic: Salt.anatu al-Mus.t.afā fī Malakūt kulli al-Warā (1297/1880 “The Supremacy of the Elect One in the Kingdom of All Creation”); Mil’ al-Jayb bi ‘Ilm al-Ghayb (1318/1900 “Fullness of the Heart with the Knowledge of the Unseen”); Inbā’ al-Mus.t.afā H.āla Sirri wa Akhfā (1318/1900 “The Disclosure by the Elect One of the Secrets and of Things More Hidden”); al-Lu’lu’ al-Maknūn fī ‘Ilm al-Bashīr mā Kāna wamā Yakūn (1318/1900 “The Concealed Pearl: The Knowledge of the Bringer of Good Tidings in What Was and What Shall Be”); Ibrā’ al-Majnūn (1323/1905 “The Cure of the Mad”); al-Jalā’ al-Kāmil (1326/1908 “The Complete Unveiling”); Izāhat al-Ghayb (1330/1911 “The Removal of Invisibility”); and H.abl al-Warā (“The Rope of Creatures”). 22

Narrated from Abū Hurayra by al-Bukhārī in al-Tārīkh al-S. aghīr (1:23) and Ibn Abī ‘Ās. im in al-Āh. ād wa al-Mathānī (4:38). AlQurt. ubī (14:100) and Ibn Kathīr (3:460) cite it in their Tafsīrs. Narrated from Hishām ibn H. ubaysh by al-T. abarānī in al-Kabīr (4:48-50), al-H. ākim (3:9-10 Isnād s. ah. īh. ), Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr in alIstī‘āb (4:1958-1962), al-Taymī in the Dalā’il (p. 59-60), and al-Lālikā’ī in his I‘tiqād Ahl al-Sunna (4:780). Cf. al-T. abarī in his Tafsīr (1:447-448) Ibn H. ibbān in al-Thiqāt (1:128) and al-Kilā‘ī in al-Iktifā’ (1:343). Also narrated from Abū Ma‘bad al-Khuzā‘ī by Ibn Sa‘d (1:230-232) but this is mursal and Abū Ma‘bad is a Tābi‘ī as stated by Ibn H. ajar in al-Is. āba (#10545). 24 Fatāwā Rashīdiyya (1:20, 3:32 cf. 3:90, 2:141). 25 Mas’ala dar ‘Ilm Ghayb (p. 4). 26 Barāhīn-e-Qāti‘a (Matbū‘āt S. ād-hūra p. 51=Kutub Khana Imdadiyah, Deoband p, 55). Yet, in al-Muhannad, the same alSaharanfūrī states (p. 38) that no creature ever received what the Prophet " has received in the knowledge of the first and the last, whether angel brought near or Prophet-Messenger! But, he adds, this does not necessarily entail knowledge of every specific detail of the lower world. These flip-flops were examined by Na‘īm al-Dīn Murādābādī (d. 1367) in al-Tah. qīqāt li Daf‘ al-Talbīsāt (Lahore). 27 Shamā’im Imdādiyya (p. 115); Imdādul-Mushtāq (p. 76). 28 Tahzīrun-Nās (p. 4). 29 Sayf Yamānī (p. 8). 23

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– The claims in Chapter Four [p. 76] that “The Prophets do not enjoy the distinction of having been awarded the keys to the unseen to the effect that they may have a cognizance of someone’s innermost feelings or could make predictions about whether or not someone is going to be blessed with a child, whether one’s business is going to yield profit or incur a loss, or whether someone is going to emerge victorious in a battle or face a defeat.” The following authentic reports prove beyond doubt the falsehood and great ignorance of the above claims. First, there are countless reports on the Prophet’s " cognizance of someone’s innermost feelings. Among them: [1] After the conquest of Makka while Abū Sufyān was sitting near the Ka‘ba and thinking to himself, “I have no idea how Muh.ammad beat us” whereupon the Prophet " came up to him, slapped him in the chest and said: “With Allāh he is beating you!”30 [2] The Prophet " announced to ‘Amr ibn Wahb al-Jumah.ī that he had come to kill him on contract by Safwān ibn Umayya. ‘Umayr was startled and asked, “What did I contract with him?” “You let him task you with killing me in exchange for taking charge of your dependents and paying off your debt, but Allāh put an obstacle between you and your plan!” ‘Umayr said: “I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allāh!” Then he returned to Makka and began to call the people to Islām.31 [3] Similarly the would-be assassin Fad.āla ibn ‘Umayr ibn al-Mulawwih. al-Laythī was slowly approaching the Prophet " during circumambulation the year of the conquest of Makka when the Prophet " suddenly said: “Is this Fad.āla?” He said, “Yes, Fad.āla, Messenger of Allāh!” The Prophet " said: “What were you saying to yourself?” He said: “Nothing! I was remembering Allāh!” The Prophet " smiled then he said: “Ask forgiveness of Allāh!” Then he placed his hand on Fad.āla’s chest. Fad.āla said: “I swear by Allāh that he did not lift his hand before he had become the dearest and most beloved of all creatures on the face of the earth to me.”32 (The Prophet " recommended to Fad.āla in particular: “Never neglect the two ‘As.rs: the prayer before sunrise and that before sunset.”33) [4] Similarly with the would-be assassin Shayba ibn ‘Uthmān in the battle of H.unayn: “I drew my sword and approached to carry out my intent against him ". I raised my sword and was almost standing over him when he put up, in front of me, a blaze of fire like a lightning bolt, which almost charred me! I put up my hand before my eyes, fearing to lose my sight, then I turned towards the Messenger of Allāh ". At that time he called me: ‘Shayba, come here!’ I went near him and he wiped my breast then said: ‘O Allāh, protect him from the devil!’ I swear it by Allāh! – at that very moment, he became more beloved to me than my hearing, my sight, and my own life! Allāh took away everything that was in me.” Then Shayba began to fight on the side of the Prophet ".34 [5] When the Prophet " took a ransom from al‘Abbās in exchange for his release when he was captured after the battle of Badr, the latter said, “You have made me the poor man of Quraysh for the rest of my life!” The Prophet " replied: “How can you be the poor man of Quraysh when you deposited gold nuggets with Umm al-Fad.l and told her, ‘If I am killed, I have left you rich for the rest of your life’?” Hearing this, he said, “I bear witness that none but she and I know this, and truly I know that you are the Messenger of Allāh!”35 [5a] Ibn Kathir mentions another version in which al-‘Abbās said to the Messenger of Allāh ": “I do not have enough to pay my ransom.” The Prophet " replied: “Then where is the money you and Umm al-Fad.l buried before you told her, ‘If anything happens to me during my trip, use this money for my two sons al-Fad.l and Qutham’?” Al-‘Abbās said: “By Allāh, I swear I know you are the Messenger of Allāh! None knows this other than myself and Umm al-Fad.l.”36 [6] Similarly, when Nawfal ibn al-H . ārith was captured at Badr, the Messenger of Allāh " said to him: “Ransom yourself, Nawfal!” He replied: “I have nothing with which to ransom myself!” The Prophet " said: “Ransom yourself with your property in Jeddah.” Nawfal said: “I bear witness you are the Messenger of Allāh!” Then he ransomed himself with it.37 [7] The Prophet " sent ‘Ā’isha to a woman he was proposing to so that she may take a look at her. [When she came back] she said, “I saw nothing to talk about.” He replied: “You saw a mole on her cheek that made every little hair of yours stand on end!” She said, “There is nothing secret to you! Who can hide anything from you?”38 [8] To some of his companions who came in to see him after having looked at a woman on their way ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān $ said: “Each of you comes in with fornicating eyes.” They said: “What! Is there revelation after the 30

Narrated from ‘Abd Allāh ibn Abī Bakr ibn H. azm by Ibn ‘Asākir (23:458-459) cf. Is. āba (3:414) and Dah. lān’s Sīra (2:84). Also from Ibn ‘Abbās by Ibn ‘Asākir (23:457-458) and others cf. Is. āba (3:413), Bidāya (4:304), Khas. ā’is. (1:441), and Dah. lān’s Sīra (2:84). 31 Narrated mursal through (1) Mūsā ibn ‘Uqba (in his Maghāzī) from al-Zuhrī by al-T. abarānī in al-Kabīr (17:59-60) and al-Taymī in Dalā’il al-Nubuwwa (p. 140-141 #153); (2) Abū al-Aswad from ‘Urwa (in his Maghāzī) also in al-Kabīr (17:56-57) and in Ibn Hishām (3:212-215) cf. al-Dhahabī, Tārīkh (Maghāzī p. 71-73); and (3) through Ibn Ish. āq (in his Sīra) from Muh. ammad ibn Ja‘far ibn alZubayr, also in al-Kabīr (17:58). Ibn H. ajar cites all three chains in al-Is. āba (4:726) then says: “It came to us through another, muttas. il chain narrated by Ibn Mandah through Ibn al-Azhar, from ‘Abd al-Razzāq, from Ja‘far ibn Sulaymān, from Abū ‘Imrān al-Jawnī [‘Abd al-Malik ibn H. abīb], from Anas or another. [Cf. al-Dhahabī, Tārīkh (Maghāzī p. 99-100).] Ibn Mandah said, ‘This is a single-chained report (gharīb), we do not know it to be from Abū ‘Imrān except this way.’ Al-T. abarānī narrated it from ‘Abd al-Razzāq and said, ‘I do not know it to be narrated except from Anas ibn Mālik.’” Cf. also Ibn Sayyid al-Nās, ‘Uyūn al-Athar (1:270). 32 Narrated by Ibn Hishām (5:80) cf. al-Kilā‘ī, Iktifā’ (2:230), Sīra H . alabiyya (3:56), Ibn Kathīr, Bidāya (4:308), Ibn al-Qayyim, Zād (3:412), and Ibn H. ajar, Is. āba (5:372). 33 Narrated by al-Bukhārī in al-Tārīkh al-Kabīr (7:124). 34 Narrated through al-Wāqidī by Ibn ‘Asākir (23:255-256) and Ibn al-Jawzī in S. ifat al-S. afwa (1:727-728). 35 Narrated from Ibn ‘Abbās by Abū Nu‘aym in Dalā’il al-Nubuwwa (p. 476-477 #409-410) with two good chains cf. Ibn H. ajar, Fath. (7:322). 36 Cited by Ibn Kathīr in his Tafsīr (2:328) Sūrat 8:70 and al-Bidāya, chapter on the prisoners of Badr. 37 Narrated by Ibn Sa‘d (4:46), al-H. ākim (3:246=1990 ed. 3:274), Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, al-Istī‘āb (4:1512 #2642), and Ibn H. ajar, al-Is. āba (6:479). The property consisted of spears and the ransom was 1,000 of them. 38 Mā dūnaka sirru waman yastat. ī‘u an yaktumak. Narrated from (1) Ibn Abī Mulayka, from ‘Ā’isha by al-T. abarānī and Abū Nu‘aym as cited by Ibn H. ajar in al-Is. āba (7:726 s.v. Sharāf) from Abū Mūsā al-As. bahānī’s Dhayl Asmā’ al-S. ah. āba and (2) ‘Abd al-Rah. mān ibn Sābit. , from ‘Ā’isha by Ibn Sa‘d (8:160) through al-Wāqidī, Abū Nu‘aym in Tārīkh As. bahān (2:188), al-Khat. īb (1:301 #165) from the latter, and Ibn ‘Asākir in Tārīkh Dimashq (51:36) from the latter, all through Jābir ibn Yazīd al-Ju‘fī who is weak. Cf. Ahmad, al-‘Ilal (2:570 #3695), Kanz (#35460), al-Ah. dab, Zawā’id (1:318-320 #77), and al-Haythamī (9:254). ‘Ā’isha’s very last phrase (“Who…”) is only in Abū Nu‘aym, al-Khat. īb, and Ibn ‘Asākir.

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Prophet?” He replied: “Not revelation, but truthful insight” (lā wa lākin firāsa s.ādiqa). [9] At one time a young Christian asked al-Junayd al-Baghdadī: “What is the meaning of the Prophet’s h.adīth: ‘Beware the vision of the believer 40 for he sees with the light of Allāh’?” Al-Junayd remained immersed in thought then lifted his head and said: “Submit, for the time has come for you to accept Islām.” The young man embraced Islām on the spot.41 Al-Qād.ī ‘Iyād. wrote in al-Shifā’, chapter on the Prophet’s " knowledge of the unseen: He " also told his Companions about their secrets and inward thoughts. He told them about the secrets of the hypocrites and their rejection and what they said about him and the believers, so that one of the hypocrites would say to his friend: “Be quiet! By Allāh, if he does not have someone to inform him, the very stones of the plain would inform him.”42 Second, on the Prophet’s " prediction whether or not someone is going to be blessed with a child: [1] Ibn ‘Abbās ∗# said: “Umm al-Fad.l – his mother – narrated to me that as she passed by the Prophet " while he was sitting in the Chamber (al-H . ijr) he said to her: ‘You are pregnant with a boy. When you give birth, bring him to me.’ She said that when she gave birth she brought her child to him and he raised the call to prayer in his right ear and the start of prayer in his left. Then he blew some moist air into his mouth (alba’ahu min rīqih) and named him ‘Abd Allāh.”43 [2] ‘Alī $ said: “The Prophet " told me: ‘A boy shall be born to you after me whom I am giving my name and cognomen (kunya)’” – 44 meaning Muh. ammad ibn al-H . anafiyya. [3] Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqās. $ lay ill in Makka and was on the brink of death. He had no children but for one daughter so he said: “Messenger of Allāh, shall I give away all my possessions as charity?” The Prophet " said no. And so forth until the Prophet " said: “Give away one third, and one third is a lot.” The Messenger of Allāh " then said to him: “It may be that you will live on so that people will benefit from you and others will be harmed by you.”45 Subsequently, Allāh cured him of his illness, gave him many sons – five of whom narrated h.adīth from him, – conquered Iraq at his hands, guided through him the throngs who entered Islām at his hands and shared in the spoils, and harmed through him the throngs of the idolaters against whom he fought, killing some and capturing others. He lived on after that illness for fifty years. Imām al-Nawawī said that this h.adīth was among the stunning miracles (mu‘jizāt) and that what he " had said came true.46 [4] Abū Bakr also predicted to ‘Ā’isha, shortly before his death, that his wife was bearing a female child and that she would therefore have to share her inheritance with two sisters instead of just Asmā’; later, his daughter Umm Kulthūm was born.47 Third, on the Prophet’s " prediction of the outcome of battles: [1] Salama ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Akwa‘ $ said: “‘Alī stayed behind because of ophthalmia when the Messenger of Allāh " was in Khaybar. He said: ‘How can I stay behind and not go with the Messenger of Allāh "?’ So he went out and caught up with him. On the eve of the victory granted by Allāh the Messenger of Allāh " said: ‘I swear that tomorrow I shall give the standard to a man whom both Allāh and His Messenger love, through whom Allāh shall grant victory.’ Then, lo and behold! There was ‘Alī among us unexpectedly. They said, ‘Here is ‘Alī!’ so he gave him the standard and Allāh granted victory through him.”48 [2] “The Prophet " mentioned that one of the Mothers of the Believers would go to war, hearing which ‘Ā’isha laughed, whereupon he said: ‘Wait, fair little one (h.umayrā’), lest it be you!’ Then he turned to ‘Alī, saying: ‘If you have her in your power, treat her kindly!’”49 [3] A man among the idolaters came out on his camel the day of Uh.ud and issued a challenge to duel. The people kept back three times. Then al-Zubayr $ went to fight him and jumped so he was with him on the camel. They fought on top of the camel. The Prophet " said: “The one that is bottom-side is a dead man.” Then the 39 Cited 40

by al-Qurt. ubī in his Tafsīr (10:44) and al-Qārī in Sharh. Musnad Abī H. anīfa, h. adīth ittaqū firāsat al-mu’min. Narrated from Abū Umāma al-Bāhilī by al-T. abarānī in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabīr (8:121) and Musnad al-Shāmiyyīn (2:407) with a fair (h.asan) chain according to al-Haythamī in Majma‘ al-Zawā’id (10:268); Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr in Jāmi‘ Bayān al-‘Ilm (1:677 #1197) with a fair chain according to al-Zuhayrī; Abū Nu‘aym in H. ilyat al-Awliyā’ (6:118) and al-Arba‘īn ‘alā Madhhab al-Mutah. aqqiqīn min al-S. ūfiyya (p. 104); al-Khat. īb in al-Tārīkh (5:99); al-Bayhaqī in al-Zuhd al-Kabīr (p. 159-160 #358); al-Suyūt. ī who declared it fair (h.asan) in al-La’āli’ al-Mas. nū‘a (2:329-330) as did al-Shawkānī in al-Fawā’id al-Majmū‘a (p. 243-244). The h. adīth is also narrated from Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī by al-Tirmidhī (gharīb); al-Bukhārī in his Tārīkh (7:354); al-T. abarī and Ibn Kathīr in their Tafsīrs (14:3132 and 2:556); Abū Nu‘aym in al-H. ilya (10:281-282); al-‘Uqaylī in al-D. u‘afā’ (4:129); Abū al-Shaykh in al-Amthāl (p. 78); alSulamī in T. abaqāt al-S. ūfiyya (p. 156) and al-Arba‘īn; al-Khat. īb in Tārīkh Baghdād (3:191, 7:242); al-Qushayrī in his Risāla (2:480); al-Qud. ā‘ī in Musnad al-Shihāb (1:387); al-Mālīnī on al-Arba‘īn (p. 91), and Ibn al-Subkī in T. abaqāt al-Shāfi‘iyya al-Kubrā (2:268). Also narrated from Thawbān, Ibn ‘Umar, and Abū Hurayra by al-T. abarī, Abū al-Shaykh, Abū Nu‘aym, Ibn Abī H. ātim, and Ibn Kathīr in their commentaries of the verse (Therein lie portents for those who read the signs) (15:75); and from other Companions. Shaykh Mah. mūd Mamdūh. in his monograph Bishārat al-Mu’min grades the h. adīth s.ah.īh.. 41 Al-Qushayrī, Risāla cf. Ibn Kathīr, Bidāya (11:114); Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt (1:374). 42 Spoken by Abū Sufyān ibn H. arb to ‘Attāb ibn Asīd and al-H. ārith ibn Hishām outside the Ka‘ba on the conquest of Makka as the Prophet " was inside with Bilāl, all three of whom became Muslims when the Prophet " subsequently reported their words back to them. Narrated by ‘Umar ibn Shayba as stated by Ibn H. ajar in al-Is. āba (4:429) cf. al-Kilā‘ī, al-Iktifā’ (2:230) and al-Māwardī, A‘lām al-Nubuwwa (p. 165). 43 Narrated from Ibn ‘Abbās by al-T. abarānī in al-Kabīr (10:289-290 #10580), Abū Nu‘aym in the Dalā’il (p. 550-551 #487), and alKhat īb in Tārīkh Baghdād (1:63) cf. al-Silsila al-S. ah. īh. a (3:34-35). 44 . I.e. Muh. ammad ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī T. ālib. Narrated mursal from al-Mundhir ibn Ya‘lā al-Thawrī by Ibn Sa‘d (5:91-92), Ibn ‘Asākir (38:308, 54:327, 54:330) with the latter’s and two other chains, and al-Bayhaqī in the Dalā’il as well as from al-Mundhir, from Ibn al-H. anafiyya by Ah. mad and Ibn Sa‘d (same page), both with a chain of trustworthy narrators per al-Bukhārī’s criterion but a different wording in which ‘Alī asks permission to use the name if a boy is born. Cf. Kanz (#34330, #37854, #37858). 45 Narrated as part of a longer narration from Sa‘d by al-Bukhārī and Muslim. 46 Al-Nawawī, Sharh. S. ah. īh. Muslim (11:77-78). 47 Narrated from ‘Ā’isha by Mālik in his Muwat. t. a’, al-Bayhaqī in al-Sunan al-Kubrā (6:170), ‘Abd al-Razzāq (9:101), Ibn al-Jawzī in S ifat al-S. afwa (1:265), and Muh. ibb al-Dīn al-T. abarī in al-Riyād. al-Nad. ira (2:122-123 #576). 48 . Narrated from Salama ibn al-Akwa‘, Sahl ibn Sa‘d and Abū Hurayra by al-Bukhārī, Muslim, and Ah. mad. 49 Narrated from Umm Salama by al-H. ākim (3:119=1990 ed. 3:129) with a strong chain, cf. al-Suyūt. ī et al., Sharh. Sunan Ibn Mājah (1:178).

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idolater fell and al-Zubayr $ fell on top of him and slew him.50 [4] The Prophet " also predicted to ‘Abd al-Rah.mān ibn ‘Awf before the expedition against Kalb in Dūma (Syria) that he would be victorious and marry the daughter of their king.51 There are countless similar reports. Al-Qād.ī ‘Iyād. wrote in al-Shifā’, chapter on the Prophet’s knowledge of the unseen: The compilers of the S.ah.īh. and the Imāms have related what he taught his Companions and family about regarding his promises to them of victory over his enemies, the conquests of Makka, al-Qudus, Yemen, Shām and Iraq, and the establishment of security so that a woman could go from H.īra in Iraq to Makka fearing none but Allāh. He said that Madīna would be raided and Khaybar would be conquered by ‘Alī the next day. He foretold those parts of the world that Allāh was going to open up to his Community and what they would be given of its flowers and fruits, such as the treasures of Chosroes and Caesar. He told about what would happen among them with regard to sedition, disputes and sectarianism, acting as those before them had done, their splitting into seventy-three sects, only one of which would be saved, that they would spread out in the earth, that people would come would wear one garment in the morning and another in the evening, and dish after dish would be placed before them. They would embellish their houses as the Ka‘ba is embellished. Then he said at the end of the hadith: “Today you are better than you will be on that day.” He said that they would strut about on the earth and that the girls of Persia and Byzantium would serve them. Allāh would withdraw their strength from them and the evil ones would overcome the good. They would fight the Turks and the Khazars and Byzantium. Chosroes and Persia would be obliterated so that there would be no Chosroes or Persia afterwards. Caesar would pass away and there would be no Caesar after him. He mentioned that Byzantium would continue generation after generation until the end of time. The noblest and best people would be taken away. When the time grew near, knowledge would be taken away, and sedition and bloodshed would appear. He said: “Woe to the Arabs for an evil that draws near!” – The claim in Chapter Four [p. 77] that the Prophet " did not know what would happen on the next day on the grounds that he said, “Avoid saying this” to the slave-girl reciting poetry when she said, “Among us is a Prophet that knows what happens tomorrow.”52 The reason for this order is not because he " did not know. It is established that Allāh ! is &the knower of the Unseen, and He reveals unto none His secret save unto every messenger whom He has chosen' (72:26-27) and He revealed to the Prophet " knowledge of the future until the Day of Judgment and much of the Hereafter as well. He only objected because knowledge of the unseen was attributed to him " in absolute terms when only Allāh knows the unseen in absolute terms.53 Coming from the mouth of a child not yet qualified to pray,54 such an assertion was reminiscent of the popular belief unbecoming of a Prophet but typical of the false claims of seers, oracles, astrologers etc. that they could, of their own devices, know the future, to which Allāh ! said &No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow' (31:34). Hence, the Prophet ", in one version, added by way of explanation, “Only Allāh knows what happens tomorrow”55 i.e. independently of anyone and with an absolute knowledge. – The claim in Chapter Four [p. 77] that “The poets, who keep eulogising the Prophet " by writing panegyric and laudatory poems extolling him to the skies and thereby justifying their uncalled for eloquence under the pretext of a mere exaggeration, is [sic] absolutely incorrect. So long as the Prophet " did not even allow the young girls to recite verses in his praise, how could it be justifiable for an intellectual poet to verbalise or listen to such verses.” This garbled prose only serves to further illustrate Ismā‘īl Dihlawī’s ignorance of the Sīra, of which panegyric and laudatory poetry in praise of the Prophet " is an integral part. The h.adīth Master Ibn Sayyid al-Nās in his compendium Minah. al-Madh. (“The Gifts of Laud [of the Prophet "]”) lists the names of over 180 male and female Companions who composed and recited poetry in praise of the Prophet ". Among them H.assān ibn Thābit who said: I say, and none can find fault with me But one who lost all sense and is kept afar: My love shall never cease to praise him! It may be for so doing I shall be forever in Paradise With al-Mus.t.afā for whose support in that I hope. And to attain to that day I devote all my efforts.56 – The statement at the end of Chapter Four [p. 78] concerning the h.adīth in al-Bukhārī: “Even though I am the Messenger of Allāh, I swear by Allāh that I do not know what is going to happen to me or to you”: “It implies that the 50

In al-Dhahabī, Tārīkh al-Islām (Maghāzī p. 172-173) and al-S. ālih. ī, Subul al-Hudā (4:287). Al-Zubayr was upset because the " had given a sword to Abū Dujāna al-Ans. ārī instead of him – his " cousin. Prophet 51 Narrated by al-Wāqidī in al-Maghāzī, Ibn Sa‘d (2:89), Ibn Hishām (4:242), and al-T. abarī in his Tārīkh (3:158), cf. al-Nuwayrī in Nihāyat al-Arab (17:209-210), al-S. ālih. ī, Subul al-Hudā (6:150), al-Nawawī, Tahdhīb al-Asmā’ (1:280), al-Dhahabī, Tārīkh (Maghāzī p. 355-356), Ibn Kathīr, Bidāya (4:179) as well as al-Dāraqut. nī in al-Afrād cited by Ibn H. ajar in al-Is. āba under al-As. bagh and Tamād. ur bint al-As. bagh. 52 Narrated from al-Rubayyi‘ bint Mu‘awwidh in al-Bukhārī, the Sunan, and Ah. mad. 53 As stated by Ibn H. ajar in his commentary of this narration in Fath. al-Bārī. 54 As stated by Ibn al-Qayyim in his marginalia on Abū Dāwūd’ Sunan. 55 In Ibn Mājah with a fair chain. 56 Narrated by Ibn Hishām (6:91) cf. al-Kilā‘ī, al-Ikifā’ (2:465) and Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāya (5:281). We documented this aspect of the Sunna in a series of posts on the Internet in June and July 2000 under the title “Sah. aba’s Celebration of Mawlid.”

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kind of treatment Allāh is going to mete out to His slaves in this world, in their graves, or in the Hereafter is neither known by a Prophet, nor a sage. They neither know about themselves nor about the others.” However, the Ulema said that this h.adīth was abrogated by the Madanī Sūrat al-Fath. which states: &Verily We have granted you a manifest Victory that Allah may forgive you your faults of the past and those to come' (48:1-2).57 One who does not know the difference between valid rulings and abrogated ones in Islām is not qualified to teach others about the sub-headings of the Law, much less Tawh.īd! The Prophet " is related to say: “Whoever gives fatwa without knowledge, the angels of the heaven and the earth curse him.”58 H . udhayfa ibn al-Yamān said: “Only a man who can tell the abrogating verses of the Qur’ān from the abrogated may give fatwās to people. Others are only overreaching fools.”59 – The statement in Chapter Five [p. 84]: “An intercession by someone, enjoying a high-ranking status and the one who is dear and near to Allāh, is utterly impossible. A person who recognises an entity (other than Allāh) to be such kind of mediator, is definitely a polytheist and undoubtedly an ignorant person. He has not understood the meaning of Ilāh (God) and has not appreciated the status of the King of kings at all.” This is precisely the doctrine of the Mu‘tazilīs with regard to intercession. Its inevitable conclusion is that either the Prophet " does not intercede, or he does not enjoy a high-ranking status and is not dear nor beloved to Allāh! All this is precluded by many proofs in the Qur’ān and the Sunna. Allāh ! preferred the Prophets above all creatures: &Each one of them did We prefer above Our creatures' (6:86). He said of Mūsā # &and he was well esteemed in the sight of Allāh' (33:69); He said of ‘Īsā # that he was &illustrious in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (unto Allāh)' (3:45); and He made our Master the Prophet Muh.ammad " the Best of Creation and said, &And (have we not) exalted your fame?' (94:4) and &It may be that your Lord will raise you to a praised estate' (17:79), meaning the Praiseworthy Station (al-Maqām al-Mah.mūd) and the Means (al-Wasīla) which the Prophet " said none but he would receive among all humankind, jinn, and angels, and this is the Station of Intercession by Consensus, at the right of or on the Glorious Throne as described elsewhere.60 – The statement that Allāh is “like a king who is unable to contravene the law of his kingdom and needs a good reason to allow his minister to intercede for a thief.” This is Mu‘tazilī belief. Sunnī belief is that Allāh is never for a moment bound by His own Law but is free to place believers in Hell and disbelievers in Paradise if He so wishes, and may do so without the least injustice on His part. – The statement in Chapter Six [p. 97]: “If someone maintains that making a prostration to a creature was permissible in the earlier religions, for instance, the angels prostrated to Ādam and Prophet Jacob # prostrated to Prophet Joseph # and hence there is no harm if we make a prostration to a saint as a token of showing our respect to him. We must remember that such a thing proves and confirms one’s Shirk and thoroughly deprives him of faith” and in Chapter Seven [p. 138-139] on the narration “Worship your Lord and respect your brother”61: “It means that all the human beings are brothers to one another. The one who is the most elderly and the most pious is an elder brother. We should respect such a person just like our elder brother. Allāh is the Rabb of all and therefore, we should worship none but Him alone. Thus we understand that all the people who are close to Allāh, regardless of whether they are Messengers or saints, are none but the helpless slaves of Allāh, and are our brothers, and as long as Allāh has bestowed on them marks of greatness, they are like our brothers and we are instructed to obey them.”Such comments contain numerous grave errors of which the gist is that neither does the prostration of respect necessarily denote shirk nor does Islamic adab allow us to call the Prophets “our elder brothers.” Al-Saharanfūri states in al-Muhannad: “He who believes that the Holy Prophet " is only as much distinguished from us as an elder brother is from the younger one goes, in our view, out of the pale of Islām.”62 Furthermore, the “brother” narration is problematic as shown by its documentation. Secondly, Ibn Mājah’s and Ibn Abi Shayba’s narration of the same h. adīth with the same chain does not contain the clause “Worship your Lord and respect your brother.” Lastly, ‘Affān ibn Muslim, Ah. mad’s Shaykh together with ‘Abd al-S. amad al-Tannūrī, states “akhbaranā al-ma‘nā” – “he narrated to us the meaning,” warning that this h. adīth was conveyed to them (by H. ammād ibn Salama) paraphrased and not in its actual wording. Yes, every clause of this h. adith is confirmed or strengthened separately by other narrations; but not the clause from which the author of Taqwiyat al-Īmān attempts to infer a ruling or an appellation pertaining to the Prophet " or to Prophets in general. Nevertheless, even if we were to consider the chain strong and the wording authentic, it would not have the meaning that he claims, due to many reasons: (1) The Prophet " said “your brother” and neither used the plural nor said “your big brother.”

57 Ibn H. ajar, Fath. al-Bārī (3:115-116) cf. al-T. abarī, Tafsīr (26:6-7). 58 Narrated by Ibn ‘Asākir cf. al-Suyūt. ī, H. abā’ik (p. 187 #694). 59 Narrated from Muh. ammad ibn Sīrīn by al-Dārimī in his Sunan with a chain of 60 See our Internet postings titled, “The Prophet’s " Seating on the Throne” and 61 See note 67. 62

sound narrators. “The Prophetic Title, ‘Best of Creation.’”

Al-Muhannad ‘alā al-Mufannad (p. 28=p. 36 of the Karachi Dār al-Ishā‘at edition). Note that the exact opposite statement is found in the Barāhīn Sāt. i‘a, attributed to the same al-Saharanfūrī!

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(2) (3) (4)

(5) (6)

(7) (8)

(9) (10)

(11)

The Prophet " is not only referring to Prophets and Saints. Rather, he is saying: worship belongs to Allāh while all human beings are as one nation of brothers in the sense established by the h. adīths: “You are all the children of Ādam”63 and “Be servants of Allāh and brothers.”64 There is no actual prohibition of prostrating to him " in this particular h. adīth. He only says to “worship Allāh and respect our brother,” alluding to the fact that prostration can denote both worship and respect, although human beings are too honorable to prostrate to other than Allāh Most High. Even if it were authentic, the sentence “Worship your Lord and respect your brother” would actually be a Prophetic nas. s. distinguishing between the two types of prostration: the prostration of worship and the prostration of respect, not a stipulation that we are permitted to call the Prophet our brother or our big brother; even less a proof that the prostration of respect is shirk. In the more authentic version of this h. adīth he " merely states: “It is not appropriate (la yas. luh. ) that any human being should prostrate to another human being.” If it were shirk he would have emphasized it and not used the understatement “it is not appropriate.” In yet another authentic h. adīth where Mu‘ādh prostrates to him ", he says: “What is this, Mu‘ādh?” Then after hearing the latter’s explanation he simply orders: “Do not,” neither calling it shirk nor asking Mu‘ādh to reiterate the testimony of faith, contrary to the irresponsible claim that such a prostration “confirms one’s Shirk and thoroughly deprives him of faith.” Nor did the Prophet " call it shirk when Qays ibn Sa‘d affirmed his desire to prostrate to him as narrated by Abū Dāwūd in the “satrap” h. adīth65 nor did he " ask him to reiterate the shahāda! In a highly authentic h. adīth he " referred to himself as “the Master (Sayyid) of all human beings”66and Allāh ! in His Book forbids us to call him in the same way as we call one another: &Make not the calling of the messenger among you as your calling one of another' (24:63) i.e. calling him merely “Muh.ammad” or “Abū al-Qāsim.” Similarly, we should not refer to him as “our elder Brother.” We must call the wives of the Prophet " “our mothers” and so it would be impious to call him “our brother.” Similarly, we call Sayyidinā Ibrāhīm # “our father” and also Sayyidinā Ādam #, whereas Sayyidinā Muh.ammad " deserves not less, but more respect. The full wording states that the Messenger of Allāh " was in the midst of a group of the Muhājirīn and Ans.ār when a camel came over to him and prostrated before him. Seeing this, his Companions said, “Messenger of Allāh! the beasts and trees prostrate to you, and it is even more right that we should prostrate to you.” He replied, “Worship your Lord, respect your brother, and ”67 The gist of this narration is to stress that men are custodians over creation deserving of its respect beginning with their wives, but due to their cruelty have become unworthy of this recognition from their wives and even their beasts of burden, although the Prophet " has stressed that it would not be excessive for a wife to give her husband the respect that a prostration connotes, even an undeserving wrongdoer. In fact, a view of the entirety of the narrations in this chapter indicates that the main issue stressed by the Prophet " here is the respect of wives for their husbands, not the status of the prostration to other than Allāh Most High. Al-Dhahabī said in the compendium of his Shaykhs, in the entry devoted to his Shaykh Ah. mad ibn ‘Abd alMun‘im al-Qazwīnī: “If he [the Prophet "] had allowed them, they would have prostrated to him as a mark of utter veneration and respect, not as a mark of worship, just as the Prophet Yūsuf’s brothers prostrated to Yūsuf #. Similarly, the prostration of the Muslim to the grave of the Prophet " is for the intention of magnification and reverence. One is not imputed disbelief because of it at all (lā yukaffaru as. lan), but he is being disobedient.”68 And Allāh knows best.

– On the same theme of prostration, the statement in commentary of the “satrap” h.adīth narrated from Qays ibn Sa‘d in Abū Dāwūd’s Sunan in which the Prophet " said: “If you were to pass by my grave, would you prostrate before it?” [Qays] said No. He continued, “Therefore, do not do so [while I am alive]!” The English Taqwiya [p. 140] comments: “By this the Prophet " meant to convey it to the people that the day would come when he " would pass away and have an eternal sleep in the grave and then he " would not be worthy of such prostrations.” Apart from its crass disrespect, this statement shows Mu‘tazilī-like disbelief in the life of the Prophets in the grave, of which the most explicit proof is 63 Narrated 64 Narrated 65

from Abū Hurayra by Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī (h. asan), and Ah. mad. from Abū Hurayra and Anas by al-Bukhārī and Muslim. Qays ibn Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubāda said: “I went to al-H. īra and saw them prostrating before a satrap (marzubān) of theirs, so I said, ‘The Messenger of Allāh " is more deserving of prostration.’ Then I came to the Prophet " and said, ‘I went to al-H. īra and saw them prostrate before a satrap of theirs, but you are more deserving, Messenger of Allāh, to have people prostrate before you.’ He said, ‘Tell me, if you were to pass by my grave, would you prostrate before it?’ I said No. He continued, ‘Therefore, do not do so. If I were to command anyone to prostrate before another I would command women to prostrate to their husbands, due to the special right Allāh gave to husbands over them.’” 66 Near-mutawātir, narrated from Abū Hurayra by al-Bukhārī and Muslim, H. udhayfa, Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī, Anas, Ibn ‘Abbās, ‘Ubāda ibn al-Sāmit. , Ibn Mas‘ūd, ‘Abd Allāh ibn Salām, and Jābir ibn ‘Abd Allāh. 67 Narrated from ‘Ā’isha by Ah. mad and (bracketed segment only) Ibn Mājah and Ibn Abī Shayba (3:558), all with a weak chain because of ‘Alī ibn Zayd ibn Jud‘ān as stated by al-Būs. irī in Mis. bāh. al-Zujāja (2:95), while al-Dhahabī said he was too weak to accept a ruling of h.alāl and h.arām on the basis of something narrated only through him – let alone ‘aqīda or īmān – although alTirmidhī considers him “truthful” (s. adūq), al-Haythamī (4:310) declares his narrations “fair”, and Ibn Kathīr in al-Bidāya accepts this narration as meeting the authenticity criteria of the Sunan. Furthermore, it is generally strengthened by other narrations as indicated by al-Būs. irī. Cf. also al-Daylamī in al-Firdaws (3:344 #5038). 68 Al-Dhahabī, Mu‘jam al-Shuyūkh (1:73 #58).

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in the h.adīth of the Prophet " narrated from Anas in S.ah.īh. Muslim: “I saw Mūsā standing in his grave, praying.” The original Urdu text for this passage is worse yet and has the words “I will become dust” (mitti me milne wālā hū) so that the English translation should more correctly read: “The day would come when he " would die and turn to dust and then he " would not be worthy of such prostrations” whereas the Prophet " said: “Allāh % forbade the earth to consume the bodies of Prophets!”69 Some went into verbal contortions to justify the use of this expression and said that what was meant was “die and lay on top of the dust” but this is hardly less objectionable even if it were correct in the first place. Furthermore, the Prophet " himself asked Mu‘ādh to visit him after his death:70 this – together with the numerous narrations encouraging the visitation of the Prophet " in his grave – shows that the state of the Holy Prophet " there is far worthier of respect and veneration than this misguided author and his defenders attempt to suggest. – The statement, found in several places[cf. p. 42, p. 54, p. 141], that to name oneself ‘Abd al-Rasūl/al-Nabī or Ghulām al-Rasūl/al-Nabī is shirk. As for us let us not only say that we are the slave of the Prophet " but also, like Qād.ī Yūsuf al-Nabhānī, the slave of his slave. It is ironic that the preface to the English edition of this book is signed precisely by one Ghulam Rasool Mehr! –

This Ghulam Rasool Mehr was aware that the book was rejected by the Umma. He writes [p. 30-31]: Today, the scope of this book’s potential fruitfullness [sic] has widened immensely. Instead of being branded as a flag-bearer of Wahabism in the common parlance, he [Ismāīl Dihlawī] is today recognised as a proponent of the great Islamic revival, who raised a banner of Jihad on the vast land of the Indian subcontinent…. [I]t is a tremendous service to render Taqwiyat-ul-Imān more attractive and worth reading for a joe-public. This is also an undeniable reality that whatever pronoucements Shah Shaheed had made a hundred and thirty years ago, could not be thoroughly understood and appreciated in terms of its importance and qualitative superiority in all the previous ages as much as much as it could be realised and appreciated during the present time of ours.

Nothing could be further from the truth as this unislamic concept of progress towards a brighter future and the slight of the past as comparatively backward and obscurantist. The Prophet " said, as narrated from Anas in Ah.mad’s Musnad and S.ah.īh. al-Bukhārī: “No year comes to pass for you nor even a single day except the one that follows it is worse [than the present one], and so until you meet your Lord.” It is also a remarkable revision of history to represent Ismā‘īl Dihlawī as a reviver of jihād. In reality, he was a rebel bāghī who opposed the jihād against the British declared by the last Mughāl Sultan of India – whom he and his followers considered a mubtadi‘! – and supported the British instead. To Allāh we belong and to Him we shall return.

69

Narrated from Aws ibn Aws al-Thaqafī by Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasā’ī, Ibn Mājah, Ah. mad, and others, all with a sound chain meeting Muslim’s criterion cf. Ibn H. ajar in Fath. al-Bārī (1989 ed. 6:379= 1959 ed. 6:488) and al-Nawawī as in Ibn ‘Allān’s al-Futūh. āt alRabbāniyya (3:309). 70 At the time the Messenger of Allāh " sent Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal to Yemen, the Messenger of Allāh " went out with him to give him his last recommendations. Mu‘ādh was mounted while the Messenger of Allāh " was walking by Mu‘ādh’s mount. When he finished he said: “Mu‘ādh! It may be that (‘asā an) you shall not meet me again after this year in which I find myself. Perhaps you will (la‘allaka) pass by my mosque here, and my grave [i.e. to visit me]?” At this Mu‘ādh wept uninterruptedly at the thought of parting with the Messenger of Allāh ". Then he [the Prophet] turned and, facing Madīna, said: “Those closest to me are those who guard themselves from Allāh (al-muttaqūn), whoever they are and wherever they are.” Another version adds: “Do not weep, O Mu‘ādh! Weeping is from Shaytan.” Both versions are narrated by Imām Ah. mad in his Musnad with two sound chains as stated by alHaythamī, al-Bazzār (7:91), al-T. abarānī in al-Kabīr (20:121) and Musnad al-Shāmiyyīn (2:102), Ibn Abī ‘Ās. im in al-Āh. ād walMathānī (3:420) and al-Sunna Ibn H. ibbān (2:414), al-Bayhaqī in al-Sunan al-Kubrā (10:86).

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